This week, colleges and universities across the country are celebrating their hard-working first-generation students as part of the First-Generation College Celebration.
According to the Center For First-Generation Student Success, on Nov. 8, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Higher Education Act (HEA), which has since opened up many financial aid opportunities for college students.
“It was not easy figuring it out on your own,” said Itzelt Santos, a first-generation college graduate. “I had to learn how to get comfortable with asking for help and finding the right people that would be able to help me.”
Santos made her college dream a reality, graduating in 2017 with a degree in Chicano Studies from San Diego State University.
“I use that to give back to my community now by working in a nonprofit that helps support immigrant first-generation, low-income families like myself,” Santos explained. “It's a really beautiful thing also to be able to help other high school students, specifically high school Latinas, pursue their dreams of college and help their parents along the way.”
Santos is guiding Latina high school students through the group Celebre, which stands for College Enrollment for Latinas Entering Bright Rewarding Educations. Santos was also a student at Cuesta College.
Kimberly Mendez is a first-generation student at Cuesta College. She is a mom of two with the goal of going to nursing school.
“When I graduated from Coast Union in Cambria, I was actually pregnant during the time when I was applying for colleges, and this was an amazing college that gave me that opportunity to come,” Mendez said.
Her photo is now being featured in a special exhibit at Cuesta College during the First-Generation College Celebration Week.
Also in that exhibit is Araceli Espinoza-Wade, a first-generation student and now Associate Dean of Student Equity and Special Programs at Cuesta College.
“Those are students who are identifying that they're the first in their families to attend college and here at Cuesta College, we think that taking that step of going to college when you don't necessarily have a collegiate background is something really courageous,” she said.
According to Espinoza-Wade, 25% of students at Cuesta College identified as first-gen in 2022.
"Personally, I am a first-generation college student myself, so I know what it's like when you attend college and it's a new environment and you often have family and friends who are encouraging you to pursue your studies, but they may not have the information that you need when it comes to, 'how do I register for classes, or what classes should I be taking?'" she added. "You want them [first-gen students] to see themselves and know that there is a community here for them."
At Allan Hancock College, that number is 41% for fall 2023.
According to Cal Poly, 12% of students in 2022 identified as first-gen.
“As you know, Cal Poly and other public institutions are barred by California Prop. 209 from admitting students based on race and ethnicity,” said Matt Lazier, Assistant Vice President for Communications and Media Relations. “However, through a variety of outreach and admissions efforts aimed at attracting more lower-income and first-generation students — many of whom unfortunately also tend to be underrepresented minority students — the university is drawing a more diverse group of prospective students to apply for admission."
“This is important because, as a state university, Cal Poly is committed to diversifying its student body (and its campus community as a whole) to reflect the ethnic and racial demographics of California,” Lazier added.
Espinoza-Wade said Cuesta College has Educational Opportunity Services and Programs also known as EOPS, which is a great resource for students.
“This program is focused specifically on supporting first-generation college students, as well as other students,” Espinoza-Wade said. “They provide academic counseling, as well as book vouchers.”
Despite the challenges, the hope is to get more first-gen students to see themselves graduating.
“The Central Coast here is so wonderful, so generous, and I know that we support each other, so at your high school, there should be local scholarships. Please apply to those,” Santos recommended. “It was my first scholarship that helped me buy my laptop when I was graduating from high school, going off to Cuesta College.”
Students at Cuesta College will get to enjoy a celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The event is at both the San Luis Obispo and North County campuses.
